Team Ontario College Alumni Roundup

After a 2020 college season that never really got off the ground due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was exciting to follow a full season of collegiate ball from our alumni. 

We had multiple players receive All-Conference honours and several players go on postseason runs while making contributions in the process. A major standout was David McCabe at UNC Charlotte who's strong sophomore campaign has him positioned to hear his name called in the early rounds of the 2021 MLB Draft.

Congratulations to all Team Ontario alumni on a successful 2021 campaign! Now that the season has wrapped for all 17 of our alumni who appeared in a college game this year, we've provided a summary below on each player.

Alex mackinnon, Senior, niagara university (NCAA di)

In Mackinnon's final season at Niagara, he appeared in eight games for the Purple Eagles, throwing a total of 8.2 innings. Back in March he picked up his first collegiate save and followed it up two appearances later with another. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound right-hander now looks ahead to his baseball career after college as he's signed a pro contract in the independent Pecos League. 

Kayantae Alarcon, sophomore, oakland city UNIVERSITY (NAIA)

Alarcon appeared in two games this past year for the Oakland City Might Oaks. The 2017 Team Ontario grad still has two remaining on the NAIA stage.

Shane nixon, sophomore, university of central oklahoma (Ncaa)

Shane Nixon, a 2018 Team Ontario graduate, didn't get into many games until April and but once he got into the regular lineup his offensive production took a huge jump. The Markham native batted .255 during the year with six home runs and seven doubles. He was a major piece of the Bronchos offence, especially late in the season, when he blasted a grand slam in the postseason. Nixon has two seasons of eligibility left and will look to make most of it as Central Oklahoma has built a roster that will contend over the next two years.

graeham luttor, JUNIOR, midway university (NAIA)

Luttor was one of our best college alumni in 2020, receiving All-Canadian honours from the Canadian Baseball Network. Although his numbers dipped in 2021, he was still a major piece of Midway's offence throughout the season, blasting four home runs to go along with seven doubles and a triple. He set a career high with 21 walks this past year which helped keep his college career OBP over the .400 mark. His hard work over the past four years has netted him a pro contract in the German Bundesliga.

noah murphy-sealy, SOPHOMORE, iowa lakes cc (Njcaa)

Murphy-Sealy appeared in 33 games this year for Iowa Lakes and hit one home run, two doubles and picked up 11 RBI's. It was the Aurora native's first full season playing in the NJCAA and he continued to make adjustments and get better as the season wore on.

tahj smith, sophomore, lourdes university (NAIA)

Smith made eight appearances out of the Gray Wolves bullpen and the highlight was his final three appearances where he pitched 3.2 scoreless innings. The Brampton native is slowly becoming a go-to arm out of the Lourdes bullpen and after his 15 innings this year, he's sure to get more work in the coming season.

jordan babcock, sophomore, judson university (NAIA)

Babcock had his best season to date in 2021 as he tapped into some additional power, hitting four home runs and five doubles to go along with 20 RBI's. The infielder from Markham appeared in 39 games for the Eagles who ultimately made it to the NCCAA World Series, going 2-2 in South Carolina.

drew nixon, junior, valley city state university (NAIA)

In Drew Nixon's first full season at Valley City State University, he really broke out with some additional pop at the plate. He amassed 14 doubles, four home runs and one triple across 46 games with the Vikings. The Junior from Toronto slashed .273/.341/.455 this past season and will be leaned upon next year for offensive production. Nixon continues to impress at the dish during his college career and we look forward to seeing where he can take his game in his final college season.

Kyle perrett, junior, university of northwestern ohio (NAIA)

Perrett was one of two Team Ontario alumni to receive All-Conference honours after an impressive season of the Racers bullpen. The Wabash Valley transfer pitched 25 innings and finished the season with a 2.88 to go alongside 27 strikeouts. Northwestern Ohio won their conference and ultimately lost out in the opening round of the NAIA National Tournament.

parker walker, junior, midway university (naia)

This was Walker's second season at Midway University and he appeared in 17 games, going 11-for-43 for an average of .256. He hit his first NAIA home run and finished the season with a .377 on-base percentage. The 6-foot catcher had three multi-hit games for the Eagles. 

david mccabe, sophomore, unc at charlotte (ncaa di)

It was fun following McCabe this past year at the Division I level where he started the year as one of the hottest hitters in the country and closed it in similar fashion. The former Team Ontario infielder finished the season with 14 home runs, nine doubles and a .338 average across 34 games. His bat was a huge part of Charlotte's offence that finished the year with a record of 40-21 and made the NCAA Tournament. In his first postseason game at the college level, the Oshawa native blasted two home runs against Maryland.

colin windle, sophomore, hilbert college (NCAA)

Windle pitched 6.1 innings this year for Hilbert College, highlighted by three scoreless appearances out of the bullpen. The Aurora native will look to take the leap next year and become a go-to man out of the Hawks bullpen.

riley mcerlean, sophomore, college of wooster (ncaa)

In his second season at Wooster, McErlean appeared in eight games for the Fighting Scots. The catcher from Toronto batted .250 with a double and two RBI in 2021.

dylan vandenberg, freshman, cornerstone university (naia)

After a true freshman season in 2020 that saw him toss 16.1 innings, Vandenberg got more in 2021 throwing 25.1 innings for Cornerstone. A product of the Netherlands, Vandenberg struck out 16 hitters for the Golden Eagles who finished the season with a 19-17 record.

bryn biemiller, freshman, lourdes university (NAIA)

Biemiller, a 6-foot-2 right-hander who graduated from Team Ontario in 2019, pitched 8.2 innings out of the Gray Wolves bullpen in three appearances. 

jamie cabral, freshman, sussex county cc (NJCAA)

Cabral appeared in 15 games this year for Sussex County with an impressive slash line of .283/.393/.522. The 2020 grad from Vaughan had nearly half of his hits go for extra-bases with two home runs, a triple and three doubles. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound infielder was rewarded after a strong freshman campaign as he transfers to the University of Antelope Valley, a strong NAIA program in California.

noah murciano, freshman, sussex county cc (NJCAA)

Murciano put together an impressive season as a freshman which ultimately saw him named to the First-Team All-GSAC as a catcher. Murciano really stood out on the defensive side but put up some solid numbers at the dish as well. The 6-foot-2, 170-pound catcher batted .340 with an on-base percentage of .407 across 17 games for the Skylanders. Murciano will now join Cabral at the University of Antelope Valley.